InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Do I Know You From Somewhere? ❯ Save Me! ( Chapter 1 )

Kagome believes she can never love again after leaving Inuyasha in the past, but she is shocked when she runs into a man named Tsutomu in her own time. He's loud, arrogant, and ignorant - so if he's not a reincarnation of her love, then why is he so familiarly annoying?!

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>.Do I Know You From Somewhere?.<

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(Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, and everything belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.)

(Author's Note: I'm not sure if anyone has done this before...I really hope that it appeals to you guys. There are going to be intros from the past, so don't turn away until you've read the entire chapter. ^_^. Hope you guys enjoy it!)

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Chapter One: Save Me!

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The days were beginning to be as cumbersome as the nights. She had thought that it was possible to escape under a mask of happiness, but it was becoming too much to bear. Inside her mind, only the thought of 'why' was dominant.

She had the chance to make the right decision, but before, she had been so sure that what she believed was truth. And now...she was falling deeper and deeper into the darkness that had been eating at her soul.

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The Past

As the final blow was executed, Inuyasha not only destroyed the demon that had been terrorizing the town, but had also uncovered the final Shikon Shard.

Thinking back, Kagome didn't know what she felt. Part relief, perhaps. It was over with, and there was no reason for her to remain in Ancient Japan. But that thought also drew dread within her.

" Kagome..."

She stopped rolling the crystal between her fingers and looked up hesitantly at Inuyasha. His expression was near as grim as hers, and the gleam in his eyes were nowhere to be found.

" I don't want to do this...!" Kagome whispered, wishing intensely that the round object in her right hand would shatter once more. Only for the time. It was always the time. " I have nothing to go back to."

" Then stay here...with me." He meant it. This wasn't the first time he tried to persuade her to remain in Ancient Japan, but she never did think he was serious. She had a life in the future, although there wasn't much left of it.

A vast amount of time, two years, had been spent with the dog demon in hopes to find the remains of the Shikon Shard. A desperate pining for home would claw at her, but now whenever she would return, only thoughts of what she had left behind plagued her. Her marks dropped, her friends became estranged and her thoughts were consumed of the half youkai she had given her heart to.

It would be easy to remain where she was. She would be happy yet...everyone seemed to forget one fact. Kagome was dead in this world. Maybe not her, per say, but her soul. Kikyo should have been living out the life that Kagome had taken.

Her heart clenched almost instantly at the remembrance of Inuyasha's first love. She almost felt like she was violating their story by remaining in Ancient Japan. Those two would have been happy if not for Naraku. And Kagome...never would have met Inuyasha. She never would have been in this dilemma.

" I can't," she finally said, shaking her head and not bothering to mask her tears. She opened Inuyasha's clawed hand and placed the jewel inside. " Do what you must but...please don't think of me."

" Kagome!" Inuyasha dropped the crystal carelessly as he chased after Kagome, who had begun running to the well. " Stop, you bitch!" When she refused to even slow down, he took a leap and tackled her to the ground.

" Let go of me!" Kagome cried, attempting to kick the half demon in the face. He slid up and grabbed her wrists, then pinned her to the ground. She stopped moving momentarily, staring into his golden eyes that she failed to interpret.

" You're so stubborn!" she hissed, turning her face away to mask her tears. " Can't you understand that this can never work?"

Inuyasha was quiet, seemingly lost in his thoughts until he left go of her and stood up.

" Then go," he said, coldly. " I will use the crystal to turn myself into a full youkai."

" You can't threaten me!" Kagome shouted, bolting to her feet. "Maybe...maybe I'll use the crystal for myself!"

" What, to help you pass those stupid exams?!"

They continued to bicker, threaten, and shout until Kaede finally pried them apart.

" It doesn't surprise me that you two have such strong feelings for one another," she mused. She held out a gnarled finger to show the Shikon Shard dangling off of it. " What decision have you come to, Lady Kagome?"

Once again, Kagome could feel her insides tighten. She looked desperately from Inuyasha to Kaede, but both wore solemn expressions on their face.

" I...I'm going to give it to Inuyasha," she said slowly, wondering internally whether her decision was right. Inuyasha's expression turned blank when Kaede handed him the shard and he stared at it as if she had given him something worthless.

" Don't you understand?" he shouted, tossing the shard at Kagome. " I have no need for it. If I become full youkai, I will kill mindlessly. If I become human, I..." He paused, staring bitterly at his bare feet. "...I will harbor a heart that only thinks of you. Idiot, I will live a useless life either way!"

" You wanted to leave your hybrid self so badly, Inuyasha," Kaede said, frowning. " You think this is wise?"

" I...want Kagome to remain here by the power of the shard."

" But I won't!" Kagome broke in, moving close to Inuyasha and holding the shard up close to him. " So, you pick between what you want. Youkai or man!"

Inuyasha grabbed her hand and leaned into her, his eyes flaring. " What do you want me to be?"

For once, Kagome had no answers. She moved her eyes away from Inuyasha's, and to the crystal. It had been in her body before. Perhaps the best option was one that would erase all memories of her ever falling into the well, and make two years of searching futile.

" I'll take the crystal with me, then."

" You will absolutely not, wench!!!"

Inuyasha proceeded to attack Kagome but she stopped him, as she had done so many times.

" Sit!"

" Gwaa!"

Through the confusion, a distant figure was seen from the corner of a subconscious eye. The figure shook her head, and began walking slowly back to the village, hoping that Kagome would come to her senses. If she did leave, not only would Inuyasha's life waste away, but hers as well.

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November 3, 2002.

6:30 a.m.

Kagome's Apartment in Ropongi Hills

The woman woke with a start, a small sweat beginning to form on her forehead. Her dark hair lay tangled, although slightly less messier than it usually was. This, though, was not of interest to her. She looked around frantically for any traces of the half demon she had been quarreling with in her dream.

But he was gone, as he had been for six years.

For a moment she sighed, feeling like to fall into a deep depression. It would be so simple to cut herself off from the world, yet she stood up anyway with the fake smile on her face. In a sense, she was already cut off.

She hadn't noticed that the alarm had been blaring for a solid fifteen minutes, and she began to quickly pick up anything off the floor that was decent to wear. Naturally, she was never this disorganized, but she had been losing her head in attempting to acquire a position in journalism at the Tokyo Press. Today would determine her fate- if she managed to leave her apartment on time.

" Hey, Kagome, I need to talk to you!"

The words that her roommate, Reika, spoke ran past her head without sinking in for a moment. Kagome waved over her head, almost automatically and remembered faintly that Reika had tried to talk to her for two weeks about something. Well, it would have to wait. Kagome had more pressing matters at hand. She slipped into a pair of black shoes, while having a piece of toast in her mouth, briefcase against her hip (held by her elbow) and pulling on a pair of sheer stockings.

" If you're not going to listen to me, than you might as well remember to button up your-"

" Amgh swoghy!" Kagome managed through her bread filled mouth. Quickly, she ran through the door and down the hallways, where the elevator had just reached her floor.

" Baight!" (Translation: Wait!) she shouted, and stumbled into the elevator. Inside, a man stood and didn't bother to even smile at her. She didn't care, and continued to fix up her outfit (now she noticed what Reika was trying to tell her: her shirt was unbuttoned). She looked up to see if the man was leering at her, but his eyes were glassily fixed on the wall.

Unexpectedly, bread clogged up in her throat and she began to cough, and sputter. It refused to budge. She keeled over, horrified to realize that she would die in an elevator from choking on breakfast. She began to hit herself on the chest, but was surprised to feel two strong arms wrap around her bosom and exert pressure.

The remains of her breakfast came out on the lustery floor in a soggy mess.

Embarrassed, Kagome turned her face away and apologized to the stranger for causing him trouble. But instead of him accepting, or at least denying her apology, he said rather rudely,

" What kind of idiot chokes on a piece of bread?"

Kagome's face turned red, and she spun around despite the warnings in her head, and the words of her mother to never talk back to a stranger.

" What did you say?"

He studied her carefully, and Kagome did the same. But after a few minutes, it was her that relented and turned her eyes away. His gaze was too piercing, and almost like he could see right through her -or possibly inside of her. She began to chew on her bottom lip, and was never more grateful when the door opened.

The subway was the smartest way to take if she wanted to reach the building on time. Although crowded, it was faster that the roads. She could have ridden her bike, but it was impossible, considering the clothing she was in. A few blocks towards the subway station, and she realized that someone was following her. She began to walk faster, but the same footsteps could be heard. They were light for a man, she realized when she turned around to behold the stranger from the elevator. He gave her a dirty look, and she matched his with one of her own.

" Not only are you clumsy, you're stupid," he suddenly said. Kagome stopped, feeling like she would explode.

" And why is that?" she said, in an overly quiet tone.

The man sighed, shaking his head arrogantly. It was then that Kagome noticed her briefcase in his hand.

" Give that back to me!" she shouted, walking up to him haughtily and snatching away the case. He let it go with a smirk, and brushed by her coldly.

She knew him for five minutes, but she already knew that she couldn't stand him.

Her heels were not accustomed for running, which was a shame considering that she was five minutes away from missing the train. Luckily, she had managed to catch it, yet was unable to get a seat. Instead, she was wedged between two men, one who were old and smiling at her. She was backing away from him when the train gave a sudden lurch and she fell straight into the man behind her.

With ease, he caught her around the waist, yet to her horror, it was him. The same stupid man from the elevator. He was looking at her as if she were some disease, and she did the same to him.

" Get your hands off of me!" Kagome said, pushing his hands off of her shoulders.

" You fell into me," he pointed out, but Kagome growled and for a moment, he seemed intimidated. She was about to turn around when the train gave another lurch, and this time, she fell forward onto him. His face, unfortunately, became in contact with her breasts, and she punched him when she had gotten to her feet. His face was red, and she wondered whether it was from her hit or because of what had happened.

" You didn't see anything, did you?" she demanded. He turned his head in response and scoffed.

" I saw nothing."

For the rest of the trip, they were silent.

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The Past

" Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed as she saw the entrance to the well was piled with various objects, including a horse. As she looked over her shoulder, she saw Inuyasha with a pleased expression on his face.

" Eh, can't go now, can you?" he asked, jumping cleanly onto a tree branch. Kagome gritted her teeth, and clenched her hands, the rage that she frequently experienced beginning to overcome her.

" You can't force me to stay here with you!" she shouted, running up to the tree and kicking it hatefully. Inuyasha lounged out on the branch and yawned, appearing as a lazy cat.

" Well, things happen." His amber eyes moved lazily to the mess blocking the well, then back to Kagome.

" Sit."

The hybrid came crashing down comically, and when he lifted his head, Kagome could see his nose had turned red.

" What's wrong with you?!" the half demon demanded, about to scramble to his feet. Yet Kagome slipped one foot over him and kept him sprawled on the ground.

" Listen you," she said acidly. " Because of this mess, I have not only failed my exams miserably but it's a slim chance that I will get into a decent college! My education is important!"

" Yes...that's the only thing that matters to you." Inuyasha's voice, being so low and downcast, pulled strings at Kagome and she removed her foot from him.

" I'm sorry," she said softly. Inuyasha huffed and glared at her, acting as if she had never hurt him.

" I've been hearing that a lot from you," he said. Without waiting for a reply, he began to walk away from the well, and from Kagome. She remained in her stationary, hostile stance until her fists began to clench, and her heart pound. It was just too great, to see him walking away from her.

" Wait."

Inuyasha stopped instantly, and Kagome couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her lips. He would never leave her, and she knew she couldn't do the same. She walked up to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

" How long can you keep me from going back?" she asked, softly. The hanyou spun around and grasped her hand, his claws biting into her flesh slightly.

" As long as it takes," he hissed, eyes gleaming of intensity. " I love you, fool. And I will not lose you to some human idiot from your own world."

He bent down to kiss her, but she moved away from him and wrenched his hand off of her own.

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November 3, 2002

8:43 a.m.

Tokyo Press Building, Floor 20

" He'll see you in a moment," the secretary said, smiling and gesturing to a seat near the double doors in front of Kagome. She sat down carefully, hoping not to wrinkle her skirt any more than it was. That train ride had made a mess out of her, and several times her skirt had ridden up in front of that horrible man. Thankfully, she would never have to lay eyes on him again.

But now as she sat quietly, emersed in thought, she couldn't help but to think about how he appeared so familiar. His eyes had the same flare as someone else she knew, his voice carried the same harsh tone, and his hair was as unruly. She knew him from somewhere yet couldn't quite focus her mind on where, or who.

" Hiragashi," a voice called out, interrupting her thought. Kagome stood up, straightened her skirt, and walked into the office with a smile on her face. Unfortunately, the smile soon disintegrated.

Sitting at the desk was that man from the elevator and train.

His face seemed to blanche as well, but there was no smile from the beginning to be rid of. She stood in silence, and he remained seated until he frowned even more than he already was.

" You might as well be seated!"

Kagome fell into the soft black armchair automatically, and fumbled with her briefcase. Handing her resume to him, she couldn't help but to be slightly intimidated. As he looked over her resume, her own eyes wandered to the name plate on his desk.

' Nakamura, Tsutomu'

If he were going to hire her, which seemed unlikely from the way he kept frowning, then this would be the face she would be seeing everyday. He seemed so aggravated, as if he had something up his ass. For some odd reason, Kagome had the urge to ask him if he did. She bit her tongue to keep from blurting out the question that would lead to her demise.

The minutes passed by slowly, as Tsutomu continued to run his eyes over the paper. Finally, he lifted them to meet Kagome's.

" This is good..." He paused, as if having some internal struggle. Suddenly, he grabbed her resume and said, " You have a considerable amount of knowledge concerning the Feudal Ages. Would you like to enlighten me about that?"

A strange question, Kagome thought, but her answer was most likely stranger. She had wished to erase all thoughts of Inuyasha from her mind yet when it came to what she wanted to major in; History seemed to be the only option. The age she had been in with Inuyasha had intrigued her, and she soon became lost in the books and artifacts about it. It would never leave her now.

" I was interested in the events that lead to how our nation was formed today," Kagome said, hoping her answer wasn't completely ludicrous. A hint of doubt showed on Tsutomu, but he nodded and stood up.

" Hiragashi, I think it would be best if-"

The ringing of the phone cut him off, and he seemed annoyed before ripping the phone up.

" Nakamura, Tsutomu...yes...but-.... This is absolutely...fine." He practically slammed the phone down and stared at it for a solid minute as if he could burn acid through it. It was only when Kagome coughed that he acknowledged her presence.

For a moment, Kagome wished that she had kept quiet. The look he was giving her was worse than the phone's. Kagome frowned herself, and leapt from her chair.

" What is the matter with you?" When Tsutomu never answered, she made show of grabbing her briefcase and whirl winding toward the door. But seconds before she opened it, Tsutomu spoke.

" Hiragashi.... You have the job."

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(Author's Note: Good? Bad? Continue? Delete?)